A Hero's End
by naruhina2329
Summary: On a mission after Sasuke, Naruto dies alongside the Uchiha. Word quickly spreads across Konoha and Hinata and Sakura find it hard to handle. Rated T just to be safe.
1. Where are You?

_**A/N: Hi, guys! So, this is my first fanfic and I've spent a lot of time tweaking the story. If there's anything wrong, reviews would help a lot! Hope you like it!**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters. Masashi Kishimoto does.**

* * *

June 27.

3 months since Naruto's departure on a mission to retrieve Sasuke. After two weeks of no return, a crying Tsunade announced Naruto a missing nin and sent a group of ANBU to look for him.

Sakura woke early everyday to meet Naruto at the gates when he finally arrived. To welcome him, to spend time with him and to punish him for worrying everyone.

And that's where Kiba and his trustworthy dog, Akamaru, found her today...

"Sakura!" he called out to the pink kunoichi.

"Kiba? Akamaru?" she answered, noticing her friend and his animal pal.

"Waiting for Naruto again, huh?"

"Yeah, I- I'm just worried about him..."

"You always are!" Kiba teased, "It's like you love him!"

"Shut up!" the pinkette shouted, raising a fist, "Well, I do, a little."

"Come on, it must be more than that!"

Sakura bopped him on the head, like she did to Naruto back then. "You're just like him, only with a giant dog."

Kiba rubbed his head and started to leave.

"Oh well, see ya later, Sakura!"

Sakura just smiled at him and scanned the path ahead of her for a shinobi wearing orange.

"Where are you, Naruto?"

* * *

ANBU were scattered across the forest, searching for the Hero of Konoha. The young man who saved the Leaf from Pain, alone. One ANBU agent came across a huge area, ideal for fighting. Kunai were sunk deeply into the ground. Trees destroyed and burnt. But, what caught the eye were two bodies in the middle of the lake – dirtying the water with crimson blood.

Naruto and Sasuke!

' _Tsunade-sama won't like this.'_

She approached the bodies and placed two fingers on Naruto's wrist. Then on Sasuke. Nothing.

"I wonder what everyone will say."

He quickly scribbled down a note.

'_Lady Hokage,_

_I have found Naruto and Sasuke dead._

_No pulse. A large wound in both their chests._

_I am very sorry._

He bit his thumb, causing it to bleed, performed a hand sign and slapped the ground, placing a mark on the surface.

"_Kuchiyose no Jutsu."_

A messenger bird appeared out of a cloud of smoke.

"Send this to the Hokage," he ordered.

With that, the bird flew to Konoha.

_**A/N: Yeah, pretty short, I guess. But, I like it. I'll hope to update soon! Bye!**_


	2. Heartbreaking News

_**A/N: Two reviews in a day? I expected that. Thanks, thelastuzumaki22 for the feedback. NarutoRocksUzimaki, I thought someone would say that. But thanks anyway. Forget to mention, but the story is inspired by Fool Me Once, Shame On Me by... I don't know who wrote it. But, it's really good! On with the story.**_

* * *

The scratching of a pen and the rustling of papers. The only sounds that you could hear in the Hokage's office. Tsunade, the Hokage, sat at her desk, working through the piles of paper, reaching for the ceiling. She was disturbed by the sound of a bird. A messenger bird.

'_A message?'_

Tsunade read the note. Her hands felt numb as she dropped it. Tears rolled onto her cheeks as she sat down.

'_Get yourself together.'_

Her fists were clenched so tightly, her knuckles turned white.

'_Naruto won't die... he won't! But...'_

She wanted to tell herself; he's fine. He'll never die. But, she knew...

'_...he's dead...'_

It was too much for the Hokage to take. She loved Naruto as much as Nawaki. And she lost both of them. She sliced her desk in two out of rage and continued to sob.

* * *

News quickly spread about Naruto's death. It didn't take long until Hinata and Sakura found out.

Hinata had been told, by Neiji, that Naruto was returning to the village, alive. So, she had met Sakura at the gates to wait. The Hyuuga's knew how much she loved that blonde. Nobody could bring themselves to tell the Hyuuga heiress the truth. A typical game of Chinese Whispers. Information goes in and comes out distorted in the end.

At around 2:00pm, they saw ANBU bringing someone in on a stretcher.

"Hinata, can you see who's on the stretcher?"

'_Byakugan!'_

With her kekkei genkai, she could tell exactly who that was. Her heart stopped. It was Naruto! She ran towards them.

"Hinata!" Sakura called out, following her.

When she finally reached the stretcher, she stopped breathing. How do you breathe? How do you talk? How do you move? That one sight took all those abilities away from her for a moment.

"W- What happened to him?" Sakura asked. No response.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM!" she demanded.

"We found him dead with Uchiha Sasuke," one said, calmly. Not another word came out of his mouth. Hinata saw the large wound in his chest. There was no doubt he had passed away.

'_Father said he was alive. He lied.'_

Tears rolled down her cheeks, knowing that nothing will be the same again.

_**A/N: Another short chapter. They might all be this short, though. I'm not used to writing long ones. Changed the grammar from what I had on paper. Hope you like it!**_


	3. Reactions

_**A/N: Hi! Chapter 3's up and running! No school today so I have time to update. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and followed. Love you guys! Eww... not in that way... On with the story!**_

* * *

It was quiet. Too quiet.

Sakura lay on her bed, staring at her photo of Team 7. Her and Kakashi were the only ones smiling. Naruto glared at Sasuke – and Sasuke didn't look interested at all.

"Team 7," she mumbled under her breath, "The squad that broke apart."

She tried to hold her tears in, but they kept falling. Naruto wouldn't want her to cry, he would want her to smile and be happy. But, she can't, especially not at that moment. It was like Naruto was the only one who could chase that smile out of her.

"Sakura!" A knock at the door.

It was her mother, Haruno Mebuki.

"Sakura! Are you alright?"

Mebuki was aware of her comrade's death. As her mother, she wanted to help. Sakura heard her, but ignored her. She didn't want to talk to her.

"Sakura!"

"Go away, Mom."

Mebuki was shocked at hearing this, but respected her daughter's wishes and slowly left the room.

* * *

At the Hyuuga house, Neiji kept coming to Hinata and got the response every time.

"You lied to me!"

"Go away!"

"Leave me alone!"

Hinata flicking someone off like that was something new to Neiji, but of course, he had expected that. Neiji was one of the people that Hinata trusted most and he had lied to her. Was it for the better good? Or should he have told the truth? Either way, Hinata would find out and become depressed.

At dinner that day, Hinata wasn't shown with much appetite. She simply picked at one of her favourite foods. Zenzai. Sweet red-bean soup. Dinner was different that day. Nobody talked and not much food was consumed.

* * *

_The next day..._

Tsunade had announced the day as the day of the funeral. Every person in the village wore black. Schools and shops were abandoned. It was a holiday.

Ino was seen picking flowers in preparation for the funeral until she saw Sakura. Her eyes red and sore from crying and her hair was in a state that looked like she just woke up.

'_Team 7 – not such a lucky number after all...'_

"Sakura!" she called out to her friend.

'_Just like Mom. Everyone always wants to know if I'm alright.'_

"Sakura!" No response.

'_She's ignoring me!'_

"Forehead Girl!"

Ignored again.

'_Can't blame her, I guess...'_

* * *

At the funeral, many people gave a speech. Sakura was one of them. Hinata was another.

Sakura stood up at the podium, unfolding the piece of paper containing the words to her speech.

"Naruto... he was like a little brother to me. A hyperactive knucklehead at times, but still has the maturity to protect the things he loves. Naruto was taunted countless times by the people of our village - trying to show us that he wasn't a monster, that he wasn't some idiot around the corner. I was one of them. Now, I realize, he's the destined hero of Konoha. Naruto, you will be missed."

Sakura took her seat as Hinata was called out to the podium. Her fingers played with each other out of shyness.

_'Just do it...'_

She looked at the coffin.

_'...For Naruto-kun.'_

"I loved Naruto-kun since I was little. But, I was too shy to tell him how I feel. And I guess, I never will. He was a great friend, a hero, someone that could change many people. He doesn't deserve to die. Nobody. No shinobi, even if we weren't allowed to cry, to express emotions. No one deserves to go through that. But, it happens. No matter how much we try to deny it, how much we say it's a dream, the event has been marked in the past. That's what happened with me. Because, I miss him."

After they had finished speaking, the villagers would look at them with a face saying, _'I feel sorry for you.'_ At the end, the villagers took their time to pray beside Naruto's coffin and place flowers on it.

After the event, Sakura was seen standing in front of her comrade's gravestone, placing a flower next to it. When she reached Sasuke's, she cursed him and kicked his gravestone off the ground with her superhuman strength. Hinata watched from afar.

Clearly, this is too much for her to handle.

* * *

_**A/N: How'd you like Numbah 3? My longest. Not much of a difference, though. LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE! Wait, that's YouTube...  
**_


	4. Mission

_**A/N: Hi! Back again! Thanks for the support in the reviews.**_

_**Nuke Tremor: Thank you so much! **_

_**Pharix: Chapter 3 is updated. If you think the speeches are horrible, that's why I **__**hate**__** writing speeches.**_

_**Clove15: It's only 3 chapters. Writing only Sakura and Hinata's reaction was the first plan until I realized how dumb it was. **_

_**On with the story! How many times have I said that?**_

* * *

_Naruto stayed there, like he was paralyzed. His body, beaten and battered. It was too painful to move. Sasuke smirked, gathering precious chakra in his right hand, forming a Chidori. Death in the form of a ball of lightning awaited it's prey. The Uchiha thrusted his arm in the direction of the dying teen in front of him, saying,_

"_Chidori Straight!"_

_A laser beam of lightning shot out of the Chidori, impaling Naruto as he collapsed onto the ground. The raven teen smirked at the sight and turned to meet a man with white hair who was stunned by the scene before him. His student – dying – staining the ground with fresh blood. His mask hid the surprised expression stamped on his face, revealing only a wide open eye. Sasuke chuckled and said,_

"_Your next..."_

_He formed the same jutsu._

"_KAKASHI!"_

He sat up in bed, gasping for air. It was only a dream. It couldn't be reality. ANBU reported sightings of Naruto and Sasuke dead. The dream showed that Sasuke killed Naruto and survived the battle. What could it mean? Dreams were always mysterious.

Kakashi went out of bed and got dressed in his normal jounin outfit. He pulled an Icha Icha Paradise book and started reading – his eyes plastered on the pages. He had nothing to do that day. No Team 7 to train. Two students were deceased and the remaining kunoichi was transferred to Team Kurenai with Hinata.

Halfway through the page he was reading, Kakashi placed his book down. He didn't feel like reading, somehow. It was written by Jiriaya – a deceased shinobi. And, it was gifted to him by Naruto – another deceased shinobi. It reminded him too much of that orange ninja. He missed Team 7. He missed them yelling at him for being late. He missed... Naruto.

* * *

Kurenai stood before her team outside the gate.

"Mina, Tsunade has given us a mission. We need to gather anything to help us in the coming war. Supplies, intel, any new strategies. Anything possible. Got that?"

"Hai!"

"We'll be gone for a few weeks, so everyone ready?"

"Hai!"

By the end of the week, many supplies were found. Strategies and intel were shared. By nightfall, the team found a grassy area and camped out for the night. Sakura lay in her sleeping bag on the grass, her eyes drinking in the stars in the night sky. She remembered times on missions with Team 7, camping out under the stars. And, one particular mission when Naruto woke up Yamato with his Rasengan.

Sakura had to smile at that.

After a while, Sakura had drifted off to sleep.


	5. Ambush

_11:36am..._

"Kiba! How many supplies have we collected yet?" Sakura asked, looking in her bag for something to eat.

Kiba peered into a large green backpack he carried. The bag was almost full and the fabric of the inside was torn and ripped.

"A lot..." he replied.

Kurenai took a look inside the pack.

"That looks good enough," she said, zipping it up, "Come on, let's go home."

Hearing this, a group of theives jumped out of the bush they were hiding in.

"We'll take those weapons," said one up front with a deep voice. The leader of the pack. He hid most of his face with a black mask just like Kakashi. There was a scar above his left eye, avoiding the eye and going straight to the ear.

Kiba and Akamaru prepared an attack. "Don't think so! Let's go Akamaru!"

'_Gatsuga!'_

Shino raised his hand, forming a purple cloud of bugs over his head and directed them to the enemies. The whole pack leaped out of the way in order to not get hit. One ninja got close to the backpack and attempted to take it until being punched into the ground by Sakura's superhuman strength.

'_Suiton: Haran Bansho!'_

A huge waterfall fell from the sky towards Sakura - who leaped out of the way. One got close to Hinata and fought her. The bulky one who specialised in Earth Jutsu.

_'Doton: Yomi Numa!'_

The earth beneath Hinata transformed into a muddy swamp. Hinata fell in, trying to break through.

"It's useless," the thief said, "You'll need superhuman strength to get out."

Sakura immediately made an appearance, punching the thief into the ground and pulling Hinata out of the mud.

"Thanks, Sakura," she said - relieved that Mother Nature won't sink her down to the core of the Earth anymore.

Hinata immediately located her enemies with the Byakuugan and defeated each one with a swift move – all except the leader... He retreated, noticing his defeated comrades groaning in pain. They chased him through the village. Sakura, the closest towards the ninja, tried to punch him. Instead, punched someone else. He groaned and Sakura stopped to help him while the rest of the team chased the enemy.

"I'm so sorry, are you alri-"

She paused, seeing his face.

"I know you,"

A picture of Naruto flashed in her mind.

'_Naruto?'_

_**A/N: Everything is explained next chapter. Don't go Rage Mode.**_

_**Note! Review and I'll update...**_


	6. Naruto?

_**A/N: Excited about this chap. One review for last one. Disappointment. I know I said review and I'll update at the end but I was so excited to update! Oh well. Review...**_

_**Nuke Tremor: **_WHEN IS THE NEXT CHAPTER!11? HWAAAAAAAAGH! RAAAAAAAGE!1!

_**Me: So funny, Nuke... But, here's the chapter.**_

* * *

Sakura stood there staring at the boy in front of her. Could he be Uzumaki Naruto? The boy confirmed dead a few weeks ago? The boy she saw on the stretcher who wouldn't and couldn't open his eyes again? In this world, it could be. The world of shinobi – full of mysteries that had results that couldn't be explained.

She studied his face. Same serrated hair, but no black headband – allowing a curtain of blonde hair to fall into it's place. Dazzling blue eyes gazed at her, taking in her figure. She missed those eyes, but were they the same?

"Sakura-chan," he finally said, snapping the paralyzed girl into attention, "I never expected to see you here."

She wanted to believe that it was really him. But, she'd seen too much to believe it. She saw it with her own eyes. A large wound where his heart should be. She went to his funeral. She sat at the place where he was buried. He was dead.

"Are you okay?" the orange ninja asked, "You look a bit stunned."

"Shut up!" the kunoichi demanded, "Who are you?"

"What?"

"WHO ARE YOU?"

The area around the two fell silent. It was obvious. Sakura had drawn attention to the two shinobi.

"I've seen him. The real Naruto. He's dead."

Naruto was shocked at hearing this. Then, he remembered images of past events. It was all clear now.

"Sakura," Naruto said, raising his hand to put on her shoulder. Sakura simply swiped it away.

"Don't touch me. Don't you dare!"

She lifted Naruto by the collar of his jacket. With her strength, Naruto's weight was of a single plastic cup to her. The rest of Team 8 appeared. Hinata's eyes widened at the sight. She didn't think anything, except: _It's Naruto!_ She didn't object. Even with all the sightings she saw back in Konoha. She knew if it was him or not – even without the Byakugan.

Hinata started to run out to Naruto. Unfortunately for her, Kiba knew exactly what she planned to do. He grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back, gently.

"That's not Naruto."

"I'm going to him," she replied, "I don't care what you think. That's Naruto."

Hinata escaped from Kiba's restraints and ran out to the crowd.

"Hinata!" Kurenai shouted.

Hinata reached Naruto and Sakura.

"Stop!" she screamed, "Put him down."

"Go away Hinata," Sakura replied, casually. She wasn't scared of her, "I'm trying to get through this imposter."

"He's no imposter!" Hinata declared, "He's Uzumaki Naruto. The real one."

"Are you that stupid to believe in that shit?" Sakura asked, "You saw him. You were the one who found him on that stretcher."

"But, that Naruto wasn't the real one."

"Maybe, if I explain, then maybe you'll understand!" Naruto shouted.

Hinata and Sakura agreed to that. The two girls, Kiba, Shino and Kurenai followed Naruto to a spot where it was more private.

"So, it happened like this..."

* * *

_Flashback..._

Naruto and Sasuke were both equally bruised. They stood, opposite to each other, preparing the final attack of the battle. The way the two would always end one of their fights. The collision of Naruto's Rasengan and Sasuke's Chidori.

They charged at each other, thrusting their arms at each other for the final countdown...

...Until being held back by something pulling at the necks of their clothing.

Snakes.

Not from Orochimaru, but from his underling, Kabuto.

The snake behind Sasuke spat out a sword and stabbed him from behind. Blood burst out of the wound as the body released Sasuke's spirit to the afterlife. Naruto was shocked. He heard Kabuto's voice out of the shadows.

"Oh, I won't kill you Naruto," he said, slyly, "It's too early for that."

The snake that killed Sasuke transformed as a dead version of Naruto. The same one that Sakura and Hinata had observed at the Konoha gates. The snake bit Naruto's neck, injecting a venom into his body.

"Just rest for now..."

* * *

"It's a lie," Sakura claimed, casually.

"Really?" Naruto asked, "How about you ask Hinata to check with her Byakugan to see if I'm lying or not, huh?"

"He's not lying, Sakura," Hinata said, turning her Byakugan off, "He's the real Naruto."

'_She had her Byakugan on the whole time?'_

"You still have some explaining to do to Tsunade," Kurenai explained, "She was worried sick."

From then, the group set off to Konoha. But, Naruto wasn't ready just yet to get a beating from Tsunade just for worrying her.

* * *

_**A/N: I'm writing a new story. It's just for fun. Not that serious. Operation: HNUWH! (Hook Naruto Up With Hinata) I really need a pure NaruHina story. This one is more NaruSaku. Not that I hate NaruSaku. Keep the reviews going!**_


	7. Back at Konoha

_**A/N: Hi! My profile is updated and this chapter will be kinda long – according to my notebook...**_

_**Thelastuzumaki22: Tsunade will be beating the shit out of Naruto in this chapter.**_

_**Nuke Tremor: This story is almost completed. I'm ending it here and now. No more Chapter 8. (This might be changed if you e-mail me some ideas. Just so that you keep your idea between you and me. )**_

_**Read the (maybe) final chapter...**_

* * *

They had barely made it to the Hokage Mansion. Seeing Naruto on his feet had completely challenged their prior knowledge of Naruto's death. Thinking he was an imposter, they would attack him.

"Well, here we are," Kurenai said, exhausted. It surely has been a long day. Finding Naruto out of the blue, a long walk back to Konoha and multiple attacks from innocent villagers.

Naruto gulped. He couldn't stand the thought of Tsunade's reaction towards him. The villagers had gone crazy and acted as if they were fighting in a war. Tsunade – would be even worse. Naruto felt something soft and gentle upon his hand. Hinata.

"We're here for you," she said.

Naruto smiled at her. Hinata made things feel alright.

"So, it took you three months to escape and come to Konoha?" Kiba asked, curiously as they walked down the hallway.

"Well, I decided to stay a bit," Naruto answered, " It had already been two months when I escaped. Told everyone I was on a mission. They had good ramen, there."

"We have ramen here," Kiba said, "Your favourite ramen as well."

"I was worried that Granny would beat me to a pulp," Naruto said, "I heard the ANBU had brought the decoy into the village and the funeral had been held."

They stopped at the door.

"Naruto, stay here and we'll call you in," Kurenai instructed.

He nodded and leaned against the wall as the rest of the group walked into the room.

"Tsunade-sama," Kurenai started.

They were met only with a small "Yes". Tsunade had her head bowed over her desk. She kept staring at the wooden surface, iced with white paper as she drummed a rhythm with her fingers.

"We got everything! Weapons! Intel! Medicine!" Kiba said, proudly.

Tsunade pulled out five bags of gold – one for each of them.

"Here's your reward," Tsunade said, her head still bowed.

Hinata spoke up. "Umm... we have a... visitor... from the mission who would like to speak with you."

Tsunade's head snapped up. "Tell him to come again another day."

"Come on, Tsunade-sama," Sakura moaned, "You've been like this ever since Naruto's death. Just one visitor won't hurt."

"Fine then," the Hokage said.

"Come in," Kurenai said.

Naruto let out a huge sigh. As he shifted from his leaning position, Hinata's words were whispered in his mind.

"_We're here for you."_

Nervously, he stepped into the room. He didn't know what to say. Hi? Too casual. What's been going on lately? The whole village thought their hero died is what's been going on lately. He didn't need to say anything. When Tsunade saw who the 'visitor' was, her eyes widened, mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"Granny, are you okay?"

Naruto imagined himself slapping his forehead as he realized what he had said. Sakura done it for him.

'_Baka...'_

Tsunade's face flushed in anger. Naruto stepped back. In one swift move, Tsunade sent her fist into Naruto's stomach, punching him through the wall and sending cracks through the other. Sakura, Hinata and Kurenai tried to restrain the Hokage. She easily slipped from their restraints and continued to walk to the frightened boy. Kiba stood at the side, exploding in laughter as Naruto twitched in fear.

Tsunade lifted Naruto by the collar of his jacket.

"NOW, YOU LISTEN TO ME!" Tsunade shouted, "IF YOU WERE ALIVE, YOU COULD'VE JUST WENT STRAIGHT TO THE VILLAGE RATHER THAN PLAYING DEAD FOR THREE MONTHS!"

"Tsunade-sama," Sakura interrupted, "We brought him here to explain all this to you."

Tsunade let go of Naruto. "You better have a good explanation."

* * *

Sakura had chose to wait outside the office. She sat against the cracked wall when she saw Lee, Ino, Choji, Shikamaru, Neiji and Tenten.

"Sakura!" Ino called out, noticing her friend.

"Ino? What are you guys doing here?"

"We came to see if you had returned on your mission," Shikamaru answered.

"We've been waiting for you to show up at the BBQ Hut," Tenten said.

Now, she remembered...

_The day of the mission..._

_Sakura packed her gear – almost ready to set off. There was a knock at the door. _

'_That must be Kurenai-sensei.'_

_She was wrong. It was Ino Yamanaka._

"_Hey, Sakura," she greeted, "You've been a bit... depressed lately. You wanna come over for dinner, tonight? BBQ at Choji's favourite place? I can invite everyone."_

_She noticed the pack on her back._

"_Are you going on a mission?"_

"_Yeah, maybe when I come back."_

"_Okay, see ya around some time."_

_The door was closed. Sakura really needed a moment to forget about Naruto's sudden death and be with her friends. Just a minute was all she needed. Finally, a time to relax._

"We had to leave before Choji ate all the barbeque," Tenten said, throwing a look at Choji.

"You know I can't help myself!" Choji said, trying to defend himself. It was true, though. Food was Choji's passion – or more likely, his clan's passion. It was his favourite word, his favourite thing.

"Come on, let's go!" Lee said, "We cannot waste our youth here!"

"I'm waiting for Hinata. She's in Tsunade-sama's office."

"Why?"

Sakura casted her eyes on the floor. "Because, Naruto's back."

Silence. The same reaction all over again. Until, someone says it's not true.

"Naruto's dead, Sakura. You know that," Ino said, "You've been to his funeral."

"I thought he was a dead," Sakura countered, "I went to a decoy's funeral."

"Decoy? What do you mean?" Lee asked.

"I mean the dead Naruto was a decoy set by Kabuto," Sakura explained, "The real Naruto is in there explaining to Tsunade-sama."

"Kabuto must have been keeping Naruto so that Madara could extract the Kyuubi from him," Shikamaru guessed.

Sakura nodded in agreement. It was the only explanation. The only way to become one step ahead in the upcoming war was to take a Tailed-Beast beforehand.

Naruto came out of the office, followed by Hinata, Kiba, Akamaru, Kurenai and Shino. Seeing his old friends, Naruto asked, "You're not gonna attack me as well are you?"

"Nope," Shikamaru assured him, "Sakura explained everything."

Naruto sighed in relief. Sakura pushed him along the hallway.

"So, you want a welcome-back-dinner?"

"Ramen?" His eyes lit up with hope.

"Sure," she said, swallowing back nausea. When will this idiot ever eat something other than ramen?

* * *

_**A/N: Ta da! One story finished. It may be changed. Thanks to everyone who read the story. I'll continue with Operation: HNUWH later.**_


End file.
